Septic Tank Emptying in Kent and East Sussex

Why a septic tank still needs emptying

A septic tank does more than a cesspool. Solids settle out in the first chamber and the liquid drains away to a soakaway or drainage field, where the soil finishes the job. What it does not do is make the sludge disappear, and that sludge builds up steadily at the bottom of the tank.

Once the sludge layer gets too deep, solids carry over into the drainage field and start to clog the soil it depends on. A failed drainage field is one of the most expensive faults on a septic system, and regular emptying is what stops it happening. Replacing a failed drainage field explains what is involved if it gets that far.

How often a septic tank needs emptying

The General Binding Rules say the sludge must be removed before the tank reaches its capacity, and that this should be at least once a year or as often as the manufacturer advises. Once a year suits most households. Bigger families, holiday lets and commercial premises usually need it more often.

If you have just bought a property and nobody can tell you when the tank was last done, book an empty and start the clock from there. How often should a septic tank be emptied explains where the yearly figure comes from and what pushes a tank to need more.

What happens on the day

We bring a vacuum tanker, lift the covers and take out the sludge and the crust that forms on top. The building regulations guidance suggests leaving a little sludge behind, because the bacteria in it restart the tank, so an emptied septic tank is not always a spotless one, and that is on purpose.

Approved Document H expects a septic tank to sit within 30 metres of where a tanker can park, so most can be reached from the drive. Where the access is awkward, a long hose from the road usually solves it, so mention it when you ring.

We look at the whole system while we are there

While the tank is open we look at the chamber condition, the inlet and outlet, the dip pipes and the state of the sludge. If something is starting to fail we tell you plainly, with what it will cost, rather than leaving you to find out the hard way. Where it needs more than a look, a full septic tank service covers it.

Where your tank discharges matters

A septic tank may discharge to ground through a drainage field. It must never discharge to a ditch, stream or other watercourse, and if yours does, the rules say it has to be put right as soon as possible. If you are not sure where your outlet goes, we can trace it while we are there. Can a septic tank discharge to a ditch sets out the three ways to fix it.

Paperwork, and selling a house

We are a registered waste carrier, number CBDU266860. Every load goes to a licensed treatment facility and you get a waste transfer note for your records. When you sell, the rules say you must tell the buyer in writing about the system and pass on its maintenance records, so those notes earn their keep. Selling a house with a septic tank in Kent covers the rest.

Septic tank emptying across Kent and East Sussex

We empty septic tanks right across Kent and East Sussex, from Ashford out to the Weald, the Marsh and the High Weald villages. Septic tank emptying in Ashford and the villages around it shows how a yearly round works in practice.

The ground changes what a missed empty costs. On the Weald clay around Tenterden, Headcorn and Smarden, water drains slowly, so a drainage field has little to spare in a wet winter and sludge carried over from a full tank clogs it quickly. On Romney Marsh the water table sits close to the surface for much of the year, which leaves even less room. On both, emptying on time is the cheapest protection the field has.